Jog Falls comes alive after Sharavathi fire

There is something to cheer for tourists as the spectacle of the famous Jog Falls can be enjoyed even during summer now.

Following the recent fire accident that halted power generation at Sharavathi Generating Station (SGS), water from the Linganamakki dam is being released to Gerusoppa generating station. Hence, officials of the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) are releasing water meant for SGS to other generating stations by diverting the flow of water from the dam.

The released water will reach Gerusoppa generating station after cascading down Jog Falls, affording a rare view of the falls even during summer. The falls are attracting tourists of the region and the number of visitors is likely to increase in the coming weeks. Generally, only a thin stream of water from Rani is seen in February, but now all the four falls, namely Raja, Roarer, Rani and Rocket, are flowing in summer.

While KPCL officials are taking steps to restore SGS, photographers and traders at Jog are doing brisk business. Earlier, water stored in the Linganamakki dam was made to flow to Talakalale dam through a canal from where it was released to the Sharavathi Generating Station through a pipeline. This was stopped after the fire on February 18.

According to KPCL chief engineer (Civil) K N Diwakar, earlier, more than 5,000 cusecs of water was being released to SGS for power generation. Now, 4,000 cusecs is being released to the Mahatma Gandhi Hydro Electric Station, which has an installed capacity of 139 MW and the remaining 1,000 cusecs of water is being released to Gerusoppa, with an installed capacity of  240 MW.